Blanc only led his team to 2nd in the league, but; because it was Bordeaux, and they finished so close to Lyon – he looks like a genius.

Every year I ask my father-in-law, a Bordeaux supporter, if they might win the league, and he almost scolds me for asking such a silly question. His exact response to exhale/pooof while shaking his head and saying “non, non, non, non, non, non, non. Lyon va gagner,” and explaining that Lyon is a rich club.

Since the 90s (and the Platini fiasco), the French National team manager is chosen by the DTN (National Technical Direction)… Who tend to be corporatist. Houllier, Jacquet, Lemerre, Domenech… They all went through at least two years of being either the assistant of the French manager or part of the manager training setup. Houllier was Platini’s assistant between 1988 and 1992, and was instrumental in setting up the DTN. Jacquet was chosen by Houllier in 1992 to become his assistant, and took over in 1994 when Houlier resigned. Lemerre managed the French military team (I kid you not) for ten years, and was Jacquet’s assistant in 1998. When He crashed the team in 2002, they couldn’t go for his assistant (it was just too bad), so they snapped up Santini who had worked from 1995 to 1997 as trainer for the French National team and part of the DTN manager training setup… Alongside Domenech! Domenech took over after the slightly dissapointing 2004 Euro, and he had been the U-21 manager for eleven years…

I doubt the DTN will chose Blanc or Deschamps, who both chose to not undergo the DTN’s training courses… And who criticised the DTN both in 2002 and in 2004… Wenger is out of the question since he’s always said he didn’t like international football, and also criticised the DTN… So I think Mombaerts or Tigana are more likely choices. Mombaerts was the director of the (old version) DTN in Auvergne between 1984 and 1986, was involved in setting up the DTN in the early 90s, took a stint at Cannes where he nurtured Zidane and Vieira amongst others, then became director of the Castelmaurou National Detection Center between 1994 and 1999. He had been working at Toulouse between 2000 and 2006, but he’s still liked in the DTN, as his nomination (by the DTN) at the head of the U-18s in 2007, and was scheduled to take the U-21s in August 2008… An insane progression rate in the French National Youth setup where most managers spend the best part of ten years before changing position… Tigana was one of the first managers to come through the DTN’s manager training courses, and although he’s been outside France a lot recently, he has good connections, as his stints working for the DTN in 2004 and early 2008 showed. However, I’d put Mombaerts as most likely prospect… Not only because Tigana was involved in a very unclear case that ended up in his condemnation for “faux et usage de faux, abus de bien sociaux et malversations financières” (trickery, abuse of social benefits and money laundering), but also because the head of the DTN, Jean-Pierre Escalettes said in an interview with “Sport” (myfreesport.com) on the 13th of June that the DTN was proud of the managers it trained, of the “continuity” of management at the head of the French NT, and although he avoided saying Blanc or Deschamps’ names, he did mention Mombaerts as “a possible successor of Domenech’s if Domenech chooses to leave”…

Anyway I am a hardcore gooner and naturally my second team has to be Oranje. Lets all just let FFF handle matters and most importantly head to your local pub, order a pitcher of Heineken or better yet ORANJEBOOM and watch Total Football at its best.

Domenech’s accomplishments with Les Bleuets:
-Winner of the Toulon tournament ‘97 & ‘04
-co-champion of Europe ‘02
-Winner of the Casablanca tournament ‘99
-quarterfinalist @ the Olympic Games ‘96
-3rd place in the Euro championship ‘94 & ‘96
-4th place in the Euro championship ‘92 & ‘94
-coach of the 20 year olds 2000-2001: quarterfinalist in the World Cup Argentina
-promoted to the senior side 7/12/04

I could not find a record but this gives you a rough idea.

Believe it or not, I’ll miss Domenech too. I thought he was hysterically funny and alway interesting. The problem was his inflexibility — his inability to say, “This isn’t working” and make incremental changes till he found something that did work. And it all blew up in his face rather spectacularly.

I hope Estelle marries him.

Deschamps is a good option, I liked him and was very disappointed when he left. I like Ranieri, but I think DD could do good things. A smart coach.

Plus, as mentioned, with DD no more Anelka, but Trez, and Mexes+Flamini in. DD not only coached Juve but spent many years here with Del Piero/Zidane/etc. and is very familiar with the setup.